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05 chevy silv. aluminum body

03-30-2013, 08:59 AM

I started on this last night.. just got the bed off so far and bought the material. I bought a 4" alu I beam, 2 sheets of alu diamond plate 1/8' thick, 2 lengths of 3" alum channel. I also have lots of miscellaneous aluminum angle, channel and sheets laying around the shop. Its pretty much gonna be a aluminum flat bed that will start out basic and progress to something great as it goes... hopefully. I have built 8 of these but never one of my own, and never on a short bed. Any good ideas for something beyond a basic flatbed welding rig. Ohh and its getting a bobcat mounted on it

Comment

I would want the bed space but you can carry enough to make a living in a 1/2 T, a light bed and some experience in tossing stuff off you dont need will help. I have seen a lot of good welding shops remain super basic with portable. I used a portable for couple 3 years in 1/2 150 with a set of helpers and I carried way too much, today would shave 500# off easy.

I saw one the other day on a back road, new it was the owner driving it. A 150 with a simple rack could tie a set of bottles too, a couple hooks he could toss a couple pieces of lead on as needed and a place to secure a Bobber maybe. Look like he sat/removed it with a crane and maybe left the torch in to ride shotgun, probably has a Maxstar in most cases and this was a one off out in the sticks. It just had that "look" to it.

I have missed a couple of camera moments. I saw one the other day with a 500A machine bolted to a purchaced 14 ft tandem trailer with simple bottle rack and a big ironworker gang box bolted on behind the welder,,, super slick.

It was so so so simple it was oustanding, they had a laborer delivering/moving the thing with a common pickup. It was so simple to the point that it was obvious as daylight that the guy who thunk this up had done it before, fast and super practical. Installation was a couple hrs with a couple skilled men.

Comment

I would want the bed space but you can carry enough to make a living in a 1/2 T, a light bed and some experience in tossing stuff off you don't need will help. I have seen a lot of good welding shops remain super basic with portable. I used a portable for couple 3 years in 1/2 150 with a set of helpers and I carried way too much, today would shave 500# off easy.

I saw one the other day on a back road, new it was the owner driving it. A 150 with a simple rack could tie a set of bottles too, a couple hooks he could toss a couple pieces of lead on as needed and a place to secure a Bobber maybe. Look like he sat/removed it with a crane and maybe left the torch in to ride shotgun, probably has a Maxstar in most cases and this was a one off out in the sticks. It just had that "look" to it.

I have missed a couple of camera moments. I saw one the other day with a 500A machine bolted tpurchasedaced 14 ft tandem trailer with simple bottle rack and a big ironworker gang box bolted on behind the welder,,, super slick.

It was so so so simple ioutstandinganding, they had a laborer delivering/moving the thing with a common pickup. It was so simple to the point that it was obvious as daylight that the guy who thunk this up had done it before, fast and super practical. Installation was a couple hrs with a couple skilled men.